A fashion parade to raise money for disadvantaged children and a 35-metre boardwalk memorial to three students killed in road accidents are standout projects in this year’s Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) Achievement Awards.

A fashion parade to raise money for disadvantaged children and a 35-metre boardwalk memorial to three students killed in road accidents are standout projects in this year’s Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) Achievement Awards.

Education Minister Bronwyn Pike presented awards to 34 students, 19 teachers and four community organisations from across Victoria to recognise their outstanding achievements during last year’s VCAL studies.
“Education is the Brumby Government’s number one priority and we are continuing to invest in the services young Victorians need most to give them every opportunity to succeed and shine,” Ms Pike said.
“The VCAL certificate provides an excellent alternative to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) to keep students involved in education and training longer, which we know gives them a better chance of success later in life.”
Award recipients included Elisabeth Murdoch College student Amy Winchester who led her class’s involvement in International Volunteer Day, collecting more than 500 cans of food to be donated to the Frankston Community Support Centre.
At Narre Warren P-12 College VCAL students ran a fashion show to raise money and celebrate the life of a school community member that had passed away. The event raised over $2000 which when combined with other VCAL projects enabled $400,000 to be donated to three disadvantaged children through the local charity – Windermere.
Staff and students at Terang College experienced the impact of recent road accidents that took the lives of three of their students. In an effort to commemorate those who died, student Paul McSween planned, designed and built a 35-metre memorial boardwalk and also assisted in the organisation of a fundraising dinner to raise the vital funds necessary to complete the project.
Since 2003 when VCAL began its first official year of operation, enrolments have increased by more than 205 per cent with the number of providers increasing by 77 per cent.
Last year 7678 students successfully completed their VCAL certificate. Since then 66 per cent have gone on to secure an apprenticeship, traineeship or found employment, with a further 23 per cent re-enrolling in further training or study. More than 17,000 students are expected to enrol in VCAL this year.
The following schools/organisations received awards: Stockdale Road Primary School, Latrobe City Council, Latrobe Community Health Services, Lavalla Catholic College Kildare Campus, Oberon High School, Elisabeth Murdoch College, Terang College, Narre Warren South P-12 College, Keilor Downs SC, Monbulk College, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, Sunraysia TAFE, Box Forest SC, North Geelong SC, Portland SC, Bendigo Senior Secondary College and Catholic College Bendigo.